Article carrying lanyard



Oct. 30, 195] J. R. STRYKOWER ARTICLE CARRYING LANYARD Filed Sept. '7, 1950 INVENTOR Patented Oct. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" ARTICLE CARRYING LANYARD- Joel R. Strykower, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application September 7, 1950, Serial No. 183,626

11 Claims. (01. 224-) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

My invention relates to lanyards of the type adapted to be slung about the neck or shoulders of a person and including means for readily detachably connecting the lanyard to an article for carrying the latter. Lanyards of this type usually comprise a length of flexible material doubled on itself to provide a bight or loop at one end for encircling the neck or other body portion. The opposite end of a lanyard usually has any suitable means such as a hook or snap hook for detachably connecting the lanyard to the article carried thereby. Such lanyards may include means for varying the length thereof.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of my invention to provide an improved lanyard of the type described which includes improved means for Varying the length thereof.

A further object is to provide in such a lanyard, improved means for locking the lanyard against maladjustment after the same has been adjusted to a selected length.

A further object is to provide improved lanyard length adjusting keeper slidable on the lanyard.

A further object is to provide an improved locking keeper for locking the lanyard in a selected length.

A further object is to provide an improved length adjusting keeper in combination with an improved locking keeper and/or in combination with a particular lanyard.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of the invention, the structure of the several elements comprising the same, combinations and sub-combinations of such elements, all of which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing in connection with the following specification wherein the invention is shown, described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a lanyard according to the invention, the parts being shown in unlocked position to permit a length adjustment of the lanyard;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of one end of the lanyard, the parts being shown in the locked position preventing any length adjustment;

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are enlarged horizontal sectional views taken respectively substantially on the planes of the lines 33, 44, and 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 66 of Figure 3; and

Figure '7 is an elevational view of the flexible member of the lanyard apart from the length adjusting and locking means, and showing the manner in which the same is connected to the article carrying means.

Referring specifically to the drawing wherein like reference characters have been used throughout the several views to designate like parts, and referring at first to Figure '7, ll! designates generally any suitable elongated flexible member comprising the lanyard itself. To form the flexible member l0 into a lanyard according to the in vention, it is first partially doubled on itself to form a doubled portion 1 I which provides at one end a bight l2 for encircling the neck or other body portion of the wearer. By only partially doubling the flexible member I!) upon itself end portions [3 and M of unequal length are provided at the opposite end of the lanyard. The end portions 13 and M are doubled on themselves to provide bights I5 and I6 respectively which are looped through any suitable means such as the ring I! of any suitable article attaching means such as the snap hook l8.- Thereafter, the free end of the shorter end portion I3 is secured to itself in any suitable manner as by the serving l9. It follows from the foregoing and from Figure 7, that in the region of the ring [1, the flexible member 10 has a quadrupled portion throughout the length of the shorter end portion 13 and a tripled portion throughout the remainder of the length of the longer end portion I4, the remainder of the lanyard comprising the doubled portion II aforesaid.

A tubular adjusting keeper 20 surrounds the tripled portion of the flexible member l0 and is freely slidable on two of the elements thereof. However, the keeper 20 is fixedly attached to the free end 22 of the longer end portion M by any suitable means such as the staple 2| which passes entirely through the keeper 2! and free end 22 as best seen in Figure 6. Thus, although the bight 7 I5 is of fixed size on account of the serving E9, the bight I5 is of adjustable size on account of the sliding connection between the free end 22 and flexible member I0. Thus, by sliding the keeper 20 up or down on the doubled portion H of the flexible member, the size of the night !6 and overall length of the lanyard can be varied at will in a manner readily understood. Such an adjustment can be maintained as long as excessive strains are not imposed on the bights I 5 and [6. Nevertheless, there is a tendency for normal strains on such bights to cause the keeper 20 to move toward the ring l1 whereby to lengthen the lanyard and destroy any previous length adjustment of the same. To prevent this action, it is desirable to provide suitable means of locking bight IS in the adjusted position. An embodi- -ment of such locking means has been provided posed about the tripled portion of the flexible member ID and is freely slidable thereon. How- 3 ever, the locking keeper 23 is so sized that it must be expanded slightly to fit over the quadrupled portion of the flexible member I0. Thereafter, the resiliency of the locking keeper 23 causes it to jam the elements of the quadrupled portion together, Figure 2, whereby the adjusting bight I6 is locked against adjusting movement and whereby the lanyard itself is locked in a selected adjusted length. Obviously, the parts may be readily released for readjustment simply by sliding the locking keeper 23 on of the quadrupled portion of the flexible member ID and onto the tripled portion thereof. The adjusting keeper can now be slid upwardly or downwardly on the doubled portion H to vary the length of the lanyard as suggested in broken lines in Figure 1.

The bight 12 at the end of the lanyard remote from the article attaching means l8 may be varied in size if desired by means of a keeper 24 of hollow cylindrical configuration and which surrounds the doubled portion H above the adjusting keeper 2!). Such keeper 24 operates in a well-known manner and no invention resides therein except in combination with the other elements of the invention.

All three keepers 29,23 and 24 may be made of flexible elastic material of any suitable nature but resiliency is essential only in the locking keeper 23 although it is desirable in keeper 24. The flexible member In preferably comprises a cord Such as the braided cord shown but obviously can be formed of any other suitable material.

Likewise, while I have shown and described what is now thought to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, I do not limit myself to the precise structure shown and described hereinabove except as hereinafter claimed. v

I claim:

1. An article carrying lanyard, comprising article carrying means including a portion providing an eye, an elongated flexible member having an end secured to said eye, said flexible member being doubled on itself to provide a bight at the lanyard end remote from said. means and a doubled portion between said bight and said means, a lanyard length adjusting keeper slidable on said doubled portion, said flexible member having an end portion doubled on itself through said eye, and said end portion having an end connected to said keeper to provide a bight of adjustable size, whereby to adjust the length of said lanyard and to provide a tripled flexible member portion between said keeper and said means.

2. The structure of claim 1, a locking keeper slidable on said tripled portion, and means operative upon sliding of said locking keeper into the region of said eye to lock said last-named bight against size adjustment.

3. The structure of claim 2", and a third keeper slidable on said doubled portion between said adjusting keeper and said first-named bight foradjusting the size of the latter.

4. The structure of claim 1, and means for locking said last-named bight in a selected adjusted size.

5. In an article carrying lanyard including an elongated flexible member and article attaching means, said means including an eye; the improvement comprising said flexible member be.- ing partially doubled on itself to forma bight providing one end of the lanyard, and a pair of flexible member end. portions of unequal length at the other endpf the lanyard,- bothof saidendportions being doubled on themselves through said eye to provide a pair of bights connecting said flexible member to said means, the shorter of said end portions being fixedly connected to itself to provide a bight of fixed size, an adjusting keeper slidable on said doubled flexible member, the longer of said end portions having an end fixedly connected to said keeper to provide a bight of adjustable size, whereby to permit an adjustment of the length of said lanyard, and locking means for releasably locking said lastnamed bight against size adjustment.

6. The structure of claim 5, said doubled end portions of said flexible member providing a quadrupled flexible member portion in the region of said eye and a tripled flexible member portion between said quadrupled portion and said adjust= ing keeper, said locking means comprising a lock-= ing keeper freely slidable on said tripled portion, and said locking keeper being adapted to be forced onto said quadrupled portion to jam the elements of the same together whereby to lock said last=named bight against size adjustment,

7. The structure of claim 6, and said locking staple passing entirely through said adjusting keeper and free end of said longer flexible member end portion whereby to secure I such free end to said adjusting keeper.

9. The structure of claim 8-, and a third keeper slidable on said doubled flexible member between said adjusting keeper and said first-named bight to vary the size of the latter. Y

10. In an article carrying lanyard including an elongated flexible member, article attaching means and connecting means connecting said member and article attaching means together; the improvement comprising said flexible mem ber being doubled on itself to form a bight providing one end of said lanyard and a pair of flexi ble member end portions defining theopposite end of the lanyard, said end portions being doubled on themselves to provide a pair of bights, said pair of bights being secured to said con neoting means to connect the latter to said flexible member, one of said doubled end portions being fixedly secured together to provide a bight of fixed size, an adjusting keeper slidable on said doubled flexible member, the other end portion having a free end fixedly secured to said adjust ing keeper whereby to provide a bight of adjuSt-" able size and comprise means for varying the length of the lanyard.

11. The structure of claim 10, and means for locking said last-named bight against size adjustment. V

JOEL R. sTRYKoWER.

REFERENCES ClET Efi The following references are of record in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

